Brett Nagel's commitment to Northwestern took many by surprise on Dec. 29. There hadn't been a recruiting story on the three-star prospect since Sept. 11 and the announcement was made by his father, Ron, who told the Chicago Tribune about his son's verbal pledge to the Wildcats.

No one seemed to know which way the 6-foot-4, 225-pounder from Lemont (Ill.) was leaning before that. Northwestern was the first school to offer him a scholarship, and that was in the fall of 2006. He then went on to become one of the most sought after prospects in Illinois, collecting at least 11 more offers, including five from the Big Ten, two from the Big XII and one each from the Pac-10, ACC and SEC.

Ironically, after all of that recruiting activity, Nagel wound up coming full circle, committing to the first program to make him an offer.